Specialist business support for social enterprises, cooperatives and community businesses across West Yorkshire
Since October 2023, BfGWY has provided free specialist support to West Yorkshire-based social enterprises, co-operatives and community businesses to help them start up or grow and to help make communities in West Yorkshire better places to live and work.
Unfortunately, as current UK Government funding for the Business for Good West Yorkshire programme comes to an end, we are unable to accept any new referrals to our full Business for Good, WY programme.
From April 2026, significantly reduced local support will be available via our local partners Participate Projects, who can be contacted via email info@participateprojects.org.uk and will be working with our West Yorkshire VCSE Infrastructure Partners.
Our national partners Co-operatives UK and School for Social Entrepreneurs continue to run their national programmes. And our specialist partner Stir to Action continue to run their Alternative Business Model workshop nationally.
We are in ongoing dialogue with the Combined Authority to consider how the insights from Business for Good West Yorkshire can inform any future approaches to supporting social enterprises, co‑operatives and community businesses.
Photo Hive Huddersfield CIC
What is an Alternative Business?
Alternative Businesses are those invest in local communities, give something back, and find fairer, more ethical and greener ways to do things. They have aims that are about more than just making a profit and tend to be something other than a limited company or charity. These are ‘alternative businesses’ and may be called a social enterprise, co-operative or community business.
Photo Umbrella Yoga CIC
Why work with us – who we are?
Business for Good, West Yorkshire is a partnership of local, specialist and national organisations who working together to make it easier to get the support you need and increase awareness of different ways of doing business.
Latest News
Stronger Together: How Support and Shared Leadership Re-energised the Fox & Goose
The Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge is a well-loved community-owned pub. In 2013 when the pub was at risk of closure, local residents formed a Community Benefit Society and collectively purchased it through a Community Share Offer which raised £130k and helped safeguard the pub as a valued community asset. The Fox & Goose currently have 380 members – most of who live in the local community. A subsequent crowdfunding campaign raised £12,000 and was used to build a shelter for the beer garden at the back of the pub.
Fruit Works Gets Help To Fill In The Gaps In Their Business Know-How And Become More Efficient
Fruit Works is a worker co-operative based in Leeds. Their vision is for a world where everyone can grow, pick and eat their own fruit. So they grow and sell fruit trees, design and plan orchards, prune established trees and run training, mainly working with local...
Transforming Support for Alternative Business
We’ve just received the Evaluation and Learning Report for our Pilot Project! It clearly shows that Business for Good has been a success that demonstrates that the value of the relational business support model in nurturing alternative businesses in West Yorkshire.